385
Written Answers
22 MARCH 1983
Written Answers
Proposal
Comment
Additional annual cost to public expenditure £ million
386
50
2. Six monthly uprating
3. Adequate heating allowance
covering all fuel
3. Index-linked Christmas bonus of
£20
5. Reducing pension age to 60 and
abolition of carnings rule
6. Adequate death grant for everyone
7. Free health care on demand
8. Availability of community and
personal social services
9. Appropriate accommodation
including choice
9. National scheme of travel
concessions
Each 1 per cent. increase in pension and other long-term benefits brought forward to May would cost £100 million in 1983-84 so for 22 per cent. say-
Examples:
(a) Extending supplementary benefit lower rate of heating addition to all pensioner households-minimum estimate
(b) Extending heating additions on present basis to estimated 2 million pensioners on rent and rate rebates
Each additional £1 on the bonus costs £101⁄2 million
Cost of lowering male pension age rises in longer terms with new pension scheme and lower levels of unemployment: net cost to central Government at least
Estimate on earnings rule in respect of present pension age. Net cost to central Government funds-*£55 million
Estimate for restoring death grant to original value, in respect of all deaths-£200
Unquantifiable
Unquantifiable
Unquantifiable
Estimate is the minimum
250
500
OR
250
106
*2,500
140
1.
120
100
Mv
Janit
2. pa
KIM2zın
10. Access to education and leisure
facilities
Unquantifiable
Total
$17,500
* Net cost to central Government funds.
† Absolute minimum.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Chemical Weapons (Ban)
Mr. Arnold asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 14 March, if he will give details of the new British initiative designed to help the negotiations on a convention to ban chemical weapons; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hurd: Some recent progress towards a convention to ban chemical weapons has been made in the Committee on Disarmament. But the main obstacle to progress on a chemical weapons ban remains the problem of verification. We have proposed in a paper recently presented to the Committee a system of inspection of parts of the civil chemical industry as a means of resolving one aspect of the problem: the need to ensure that chemicals manufacture for civil purposes are not diverted to military use. I will place a copy of my speech to the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva and of the British proposal in the Library of the House.
197
Vietnamese Refugees (Hong Kong)
Mr. Arnold asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 14 March, whether at his meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees the subject of the resettlement of the Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong was discussed; what other subjects were discussed; and if
he will make a statement.
Mr. Rifkind: My right hon. Friend has not yet had an opportunity to meet the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. My right hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Oxon (Mr. Hurd) met Mr. Hartling when in Geneva on 10 March, but it was essentially a courtesy call and the subject of Vietnamese refugees was not
discussed.
2213183
date columne: 386 volume: 39
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